We know Gothel from the Rapunzel story (or from Tangled) but, in Mary McMyne’s fantastic retelling, The Book of Gothel, we finally learn how she came to be the powerful sorceress of the tower. In McMyne’s version, Gothel—Haelewise here—is a woman with abilities and desires that put her in conflict with the superstitious Christians in her village. Those abilities and desires draw her towards the secret knowledge held by a few women. This knowledge is viewed as heretical and dangerous but, as Haelewise learns, is absolutely necessary to fight against true evil.
The Book of Gothel takes us back to the Holy Roman Empire of the 1000s. Haelewise is the daughter of a fisherman and a poppet-making mother. Haelewise’s parents are locked in a battle over how to treat Haelewise’s fainting fits. Her father wants them to look to the church. Haelewise’s mother wants to use remedies and spells that hark back to pre-Christian times. Nothing really works until Haelewise discovers (after the tragic death of her mother) the magical properties of the mandrake. This plant, which Haelewise knows as alrūne, cures the fainting but also allows her to tap into mysterious power. The discovery is also the catalyst that Haelewise needs to push her out of the increasingly untenable village and onto her destiny.
Almost as soon as she leaves the village, Haelewise is swept into other people’s conflicts. At the same time that she’s trying to learn more about alrūne and what she can do with it, she has to contend with a bitter grandmother with unshakeable rules, an escaped princess, and a prince whose wolf-skin transforms him into a terrifying monster that matches the one inside him. (We also get an extended cameo of Hildegard von Bingen.) It’s a wild, gripping ride and, thankfully, Haelewise is an engaging character to watch while all that plot unfolds. I love her determination. No matter what the cost, she will always do the right thing. That said, she refuses to be a martyr to the causes she champions. For example, she finds loopholes and wiggle room to see her lover when others declare it to be impossible.
In addition to the spectacular plotting and wonderful character of Haelewise, I loved how McMyne developed the world of The Book of Gothel. She dug deep into myth and pre-Christian beliefs to create a female divinity for Haelewise, Hildegard, and other women to turn to when patriarchal rigidity stands in their way. Yet McMyne’s world and characters are rarely black and white. This book isn’t about men versus women (with the exception of the horrifying Prince Ulrich); it’s about faiths that could live alongside each other if they stopped fighting each other. Also, I’m a sucker for stories that feature lost knowledge being reclaimed.
The Book of Gothel is one of the best books I’ve read this year. If you’re a fan of folklore retellings (and even if you aren’t, to be honest), I highly recommend this book.
